Rocky Mounts Criterium
Vitamin Cottage's Dirk Friel won the category pro-1-2 Rocky Mounts - Izze Criterium in Louisville Colorado on May 6, 2007. Friel and teammate Jon Tarkington escaped from the field among a nine-man strong group. Strong winds battered the field throughout the race and lap after lap in the gutter along a 1 minute climb took its toll on the field's chances to catch the breakaway. With two laps to go, Tarkington made a solo attempt at victory but it wasn't to be. Tarkington's move put the other breakaway riders on the defensive with Friel just sitting quietly biding his time with the perfect setup. Upon Tarkington being caught, Friel launched his sprint with 400 meters to go and took the victory. Tarkington rolled in for 7th.
Jon Tarkington leads the break (note - Tarkington was wearing special protective goggles in advance of Lasik Surgery)
In the women's race, Beth Fisk made it a Vitamin Cottage double and added to her victory total. Fisk also riding in the breakaway took the win in front of former teammate Carmen McNillis (Aaron's Pro Cycling Team). Vitamin Cottage rider Renee Eastman finished 5th.
Wheels of Thunder Criterium
Beth Fisk took out another Vitamin Cottage victory at the Wheels of Thunder Criterium in Golden, CO, May 12, 2007. Fisk finished ahead of professional riders Merideth Miller (Team Lipton) and former VC teammate Sharon Allpress (ValueAct Capital). VC riders Anne Lannan and Renee Eastman finished 5th and 6th.
Dirk Friel made another podium appearance finishing third out of a strong breakaway, including Talyor Phinney (5280) and Henk Vogels (Toyota United). VC riders Joe Pinkerton, Jon Tarkinton and Christian McCarthy finished 6th, 8th and 10th, respectively.
Other Races
Other notable May race Vitamin Cottage results included:
North Boulder Park Criterium: Beth Fisk (2nd), Lisa Matlock (10th)
Coal Miners Criterium: Beth Fisk (2nd); Joe Pinkerton (10th);
Iron Horse Classic: Jon Tarkington (7th Road Race, 4th Criterium, 3rd overall omnium); Beth Fisk (6th Road Race, 2nd Criterium, 2nd overall omnium); Lisa Matlock (3rd Road Race, 12th Criterium, 7th overall omnium)
Also in May, with team leader Jon Baker suffering from illness, Peter Horn and Scott Tietzel had strong performances in the pro/ Cat 1 field at the Tour of Gila. Tietzel and Horn are now racing at the cycling center in Belgium and will return later in the summer.